Thousands of public footpaths are blocked across England and Wales, a BBC investigation has found.
From overgrown vegetation to deliberate fencing, 31,816 public path obstructions were recorded on 31st October 2023 — an increase from 27,696 at the end of 2022.
To collate the information, the BBC used Environmental Information Regulations to ask 118 local councils outside of London and national park authorities about their number of blockages. The investigation discovered that councils had 4,000 more access issues on public rights of way in 2023 than in 2022.
Over in Cornwall, Lucy Wilson, a campaigner with the Open Spaces Society, is fighting for clear countryside paths. Lucy estimates that half of the Cornish footpath network has unresolved blockage issues, despite it being one of the most popular routes for ramblers in the UK.
"I was trying to enjoy the countryside and I found, on quite a few occasions, I couldn't because there were gates locked, they were overgrown, impossible to get through," she told BBC News.
"I thought rather naively, that just reporting the obstructions to the council, the council would come along and clear them. And it didn't happen. And so here I am in 2023, some of those same paths remain obstructed."
What to Read Next
Meanwhile, The Ramblers — Britain's walking charity — has also encountered blocked and obstructed footpaths. Jack Cornish, head of paths, said they are sadly a common issue.
"We are shocked to learn quite how many of these issues on paths remain unresolved," he said. "In fact, we suspect there are vastly more blockages and obstructions than the figures show, because our own research shows that the public don't know how, or where, to report issues they experience on paths."
So, what can be done? While funding is limited, the UK government said English councils' funding settlement for 2024/25 is more than £64 billion, which could be used to help resolve the issues.
If you are aware of any footpath blockages in you area, it is worth bringing it to the attention of your local council.
Environment Secretary, Steve Barclay, told the BBC: "The best way of unblocking issues is to get the landowners on board to work in partnership which in turn is great for the public but is good as a whole in terms of the country's health and wider wellbeing."
10 of the best gentle walks in the UK
Giant’s Causeway, Country Antrim
This UNESCO-protected site of 40,000 hexagonal basalt pillars on Northern Ireland’s north-west coast might not appear particularly accessible. However, take the two-mile clifftop Green Trail, which starts at the Causeway Hotel, and you’ll have a great view, plus crowd-free tranquillity, even in high summer. Below, the Atlantic bites into this natural mosaic with its rhythmic swell, and on a clear day you can spot the Scottish coastline. It’s worth continuing on the path to Portcoon Cave – access may not be possible, but the bay before it is a wonderful spot from which to see dolphins and porpoises cutting through the waves.
The Camel Trail, Cornwall
Winding through romantic Poldark country, the 17-mile Camel Trail is built on a disused rail track from Padstow to Bodmin – a line once described by Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman as “the most beautiful train journey I know”. This well-maintained path meanders through the salty marshes of the Camel Estuary to the market town of Wadebridge and inland to the foot of Bodmin Moor. Keep your eyes peeled – the route also runs through a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation, and is home to a host of British flora and fauna, from otters and dormice to kingfishers and marsh orchids.
Lake Vyrnwy, Powys
Admire the Victorian Gothic Straining Tower (above) and majestic engineering of the dam at Lake Vyrnwy, which is now an RSPB nature reserve. Tucked into the folds of purple heather moorland, the reserve has several straightforward walks – as well as hides from which to spot peregrine falcons, pied flycatchers and redstarts. Try the mile-long Grwn-oer trail from Llanwddyn, which begins on a minor road before joining a forest track to a lookout point. Wheelchair users might need assistance with the walk’s one moderately steep hill, but, once at the top, works by chainsaw sculptor Andy Hancock and panoramic lake and dam views make up for the climb.
MORE: Should we stop trying to hit 10,000 steps a day? New study reveals it's actually all about pace
Flanders Moss, Stirlingshire
One of Britain’s largest intact lowland raised bogs, the 8,000-year-old Flanders Moss nature reserve lies in the Carse of Stirling, a fertile flood plain of the River Forth. Rise above it, with the circular bog path that starts from the car park and turns into a half-mile boardwalk at the bog itself. From here, you can take in the smells and sights of this unique wildlife habitat, a landscape home to all things damp and wonderful, with domes of peat rising up out of squelchy mats of colourful sphagnum moss, adders and lizards sunbathing and the haunting sounds of snipe and stonechat calls rending the air.
Heddon Valley, Devon
With its dramatic coves and cliffs, Heddon Valley in Exmoor National Park was a favourite spot for Romantic poets such as Coleridge and Shelley. Follow their lead with two simple routes through the splendour: a two-mile circular path to Heddon’s Mouth and a five-mile linear track to Woody Bay, via Highveer Point (where you can see Wales on a clear day). Both trails start at the dog-friendly Hunters Inn, with all-terrain mobility scooters and pushchairs to hire from the National Trust if needed. The routes then take you through the rugged swathes of scree and bracken along the west Exmoor coastline as deer and buzzards watch curiously from afar.
Haughmond Hill, Shropshire
Explore this pre-Cambrian hill and Iron Age monument on the linear Geo Trail, a 20-minute stroll from the car park up a slight gradient through ancient oaks. The summit looks out over a panorama of Shrewsbury and the hills beyond (a handy toposcope helps you get your bearings). The final 100 metres to the viewpoint aren’t surfaced (pushchairs won’t have problems in dry conditions, but wheelchairs might) – but the views are spectacular even without the extra stage. Another great option is the Corbett Trail, a circular route of the same length, through the woodland of the former Sundorne Estate – with frequent benches on which to rest and contemplate the beauty that surrounds you.
Carsington Water, Derbyshire
Not just a popular place for watersports, Carsington Water near the Peak District is also a tranquil oasis with picturesque walks around mirror-smooth water. It’s an eight-mile hike to lap the whole reservoir – some of it by a rugged footpath – but if you prefer a gentler stroll, the flat, circular one-mile trail around the Stones Island peninsula from the visitors’ centre is a good alternative. The pinnacle is an intriguing group of stone monoliths by architect Lewis Knight, with bored holes framing views of the widescreen scenery. Look out for buzzards, kingfishers, sandpipers and woodpeckers, while concealed in bird hides at the nearby wildlife centre.
The Rollright Stones, Oxfordshire
Take in some of England’s finest Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments with a stroll to this stone circle, four miles from Chipping Norton. Made up of the ‘King’s Men’, overlooked by the King Stone and five megalithic ‘Whispering Knights’, the stones mark a 5,000-year-old dolmen, or burial chamber. Two easy grass routes accessed through a mobility gate take you there – the longest of which is just a mile-long round trip. Legend has it that local witch Mother Shipton turned the protagonists into stone here and that they turn back briefly at midnight every night – something you’ll have to take on trust, as the site closes at dusk.
Sennen Cove, Cornwall
Tickle the tip of the country with a three-mile walk from Sennen Cove to Land’s End. The trail can be uneven in some sections, with one short hill, so you may need assistance on this part of the route. However, wheelchair users can bypass much of it by using the smooth National Cycle Route 3 instead, from Sennen Cove harbour, where there is accessible parking, too. Take a meander along granite clifftops on the path, tucked between fields and the boundaries of a Bronze Age fort, before reaching the Land’s End Visitors’ Centre – and enjoy that edge-of-the-world feeling with grand vistas of the churning blue-black Atlantic beyond.
Dalby Forest, Yorkshire
Wander gentle paths beneath Scots pines, gnarly oaks and elders on the southern slopes of the North York Moor National Park. The shortest is the flat, half-mile Lakeside trail, circling Staindale Lake along well-surfaced paths. For a longer stroll, head out on the 2.5-mile loop of the Ellerburn Red Trail alongside Ellerburn Beck, which winds past a hibernaculum – an artificial cave where bats can spend the winter. If you just want to enjoy beautiful vistas, the Crosscliff View Trail leads you, in just under a mile, to a viewpoint where landscape sculpted by glacial ice rolls out before you – apart from Blakey Topping, a hill that, according to legend, was created by a giant.
Writer Ellie Forrester has had cerebral palsy since childhood. Today, she works to promote everyday equality for disabled people and is determined to show that nature is there for everyone to enjoy and explore. She is a supporter of the disability charity Scope.
Lisa Joyner is the Deputy Daily Editor at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she's busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.
